Toxic
by CranberryVishnu
Summary: Bryan has been ordered to take custody of a very important person of interest. He arrives at the rendezvous a little late... only to make a discovery that puts him on a most unexpected path.
1. Rendezvous

Death.

Even before I got to the top of the barren, weed-spiked ridge to see it - I could smell it. Just as I knew it would be the group I'd been sent to intercept, I also knew I was gonna be too late.

Way too late.

 _Fuck it all - my target is probably toast. Guess I can kiss that big pile of dough good by..._

I knew it wasn't just any old death smell either. Like, say… a dead moose or somethin' because there's a real unique characteristic about the way dead humans smell.

I'm not talkin' about all the chemistry jazz behind the elements I was currently processing from the scents either. Sure, my onboard cybernetic suite could isolate the esters… and it was that specific molecule mixture which includes the unmistakable whiff of good ol' propyl hexanoate that told the story.

It's that nasty compound that creates the distinctively sour and sharp smell along with a special kind of - subtle, fruity undertone… like pineapples left in the sun. It's a unique sweetness that says… human.

I made it to the crest of the ridge. On the other side, I could see the rocky ground slope gently away towards a river that looked like a steel ribbon cutting through the green valley below. I could see the rocks and dust of the high plains slowly give way to clumps of grass that got thicker and more lush as the terrain approached the lower elevations. It would have been a pretty nice view if it hadn't been for all the dead bodies littering the slope.

They had been heading for the woods, but never made it. Strewn in a ragged arc roughly 50 to 75 yards in front of me, a whole strike team lay dead.

From the looks of them, they'd been dead for only a few hours and whoever killed them had to be good. They were Detla Force and Delta Force teams are not easily surprised and are known for getting shit done.

 _Too late - I screwed the pooch on this big time. If only I had pushed it a little harder._

I had been told they were escorting someone… someone special I needed to bring in to my employers. And now... that someone was most likely adding to the special sweet and sour death smell that hung in the air around me.

The sun had just dropped behind the trees and the blue of the sky was beginning to deepen, when I switched over to thermal and did a scan of the area… there was a blob of heat further down the slope behind a clump of bushes.

 _A survivor?_

I rushed over and as I tore the bushes back - I couldn't believe my luck - my target was still alive.

She was pretty young - early 20s... her face was pale from shock and her wide eyes were lookin' real jittery an' crazy as she lay there curled in a little ball - still as a baby rabbit.

My mystery girl, was hot as hell and a total knockout. She had a kick ass black leather suit - with touches of purple and lavender in it that - in spite of the high neckline - didn't leave too damn much to the imagination. It was easy to see that she was in peak physical condition too. This chick was easily world class athlete material. I scanned her for weapons - just a cool looking sword - a katana. There was also a faint lotus pattern that was pressed into her leather get up - a custom job. She was definitely some kind of specialist. But the most distinctive identifying feature was the color of her short hair that stopped several inches above her shoulders. It was real easy to spot.

 _Man, that purple hair is cool... and it's the real deal too - how does someone get hair that color?_

I smiled down at the strange person and did a quick vitals scan - she had sustained some serious electrical damage. Like some kind of mega-taser on steroids had hit her. Probably the same pulse of energy that killed her escort.

 _Looks like she got lucky - missed the brunt of the blast... Still fucked her up pretty bad though._

While she lay there shuddering, I placed the toe of my boot firmly under her armpit.

"Okay sweetie - let's roll you over."

I shoved her onto her back and watched as she tried to focus on me. Her hot, little body was squirming slightly, and every now and then I could see her muscles spasm under the black skin of her leather suit. She was working hard to get it under control though - trying to form words. Pretty impressive for the levels of electrical damage I had detected.

"N-noh! Huh-hk! Mhf...uhf!"

I looked down at her and sniffed, a real faint scent of lilacs... nice touch.

"Tough little fucker ain't you?"

I sat right down on her rigid abs and straddled her, making sure I was pinning those arms down at her sides with my knees. I had decided to play it safe so I reached over and pulled that lethal looking killing sword from the sheath strapped to her back. The blade was pretty amazing and had a whole bunch of bull-shit etched into it - some kind of nature scene. The handle was bound in a faded purple silk. It felt kinda warm and tingly when I held it. She was getting really agitated so I tried joking with her a little.

"Ooh - hey - nice blade! An' it's all sparkly and magical and shit too!"

I watched as the purple haired babe wiggled and bucked under me. Her nose crinkled as she scowled then tried to say something. It was clear she didn't like me taking her weapon, or for that matter, sitting on her. And it didn't help that I had slid a little too close to her moderately sized, perfectly formed chest... slid back a few inches and returned my gaze to those wide, ruby colored eyes.

"Ahhn! Nnh! Nnuh... Nnn!"

I had to admit that I wasn't... you know - exactly _not_ enjoying the ride as her amazing body squirmed and jerked under me... but as always, I tried to keep it classy and about business.

"Yeah - heh... I know yer not happy, I know... but I'm gonna want to hang onto this for a while, so - thanks."

The good news was that from where I was sittin' I couldn't detect anything broken on her... and no internal damage either... cool. I noticed she had this nifty little indigo colored ribbon, headband thingy. It caught the waning light of the day and shimmered a little. I plucked at one of the ends and rubbed it between my thumb and finger as I tried to think about my next move.

 _Looks like we're the only ones here... weird. I wonder what happened to whoever killed all these peop - ?_

I became distracted when her body started vibrating and twisting hard under me. It felt great, but I could also tell she was gettin' scared... so I tried to say what I thought were a few reassuring words.

"Hey there - uh - take it easy kid… If I was gonna hurt you - I would have already smashed that pretty face in by now. So don't - uh, there's no need to go gettin' all in an uproar. Maybe I'll even give you your lil' mystical, sparkle sword back, once we get to know each other better."

I did a quick gesture with my hand at the killing field beyond our secluded position.

"Look, ah... your crew just got smoked. But I'm pretty sure you're gonna be okay. At least when your nervous system gets its shit back together. So - I'm thinkin' we oughto get outta here, in case whoever did this to you and your buddies comes back."

I knew she wasn't going to like what I was about to do as I grabbed her by the shoulders, but I needed to keep this tiger in her cage. I rolled her under me so that she was face down in the grass. Then sitting squarely on her lower back, I firmly pulled her arms behind her.

"Guh! N-Nnnh!"

"Sorry honey pie, but I'm gonna restrain you now - y'know - for your protection and shit... got it?"

Her hands clenched into tiny, but powerful looking fists and her breathing got real rapid as I cuffed her.

 _Shit - she is really gettin' mad! Wow - ha!_

Then I rotated, keeping her firmly secured beneath me to snap a second set around her ankles. I'll admit it - I took one good long look at her amazing ass before I stood and scooped her up off the ground.

"Grrah - ffhhhk!"

She shook and protested as I threw her over my shoulder, I could feel the rage as her incredible bod tensed and shuddered. As I gripped her, all I could feel was solid muscle. This one was clearly a serious bad-ass.

"Nnn-NNUH! GUH!"

Oh yeah, and she was definitely NOT happy about the situation she was in and was makin' all kinds of pissed off noises... I couldn't help laughing as I began to head back up the hill with her.

"Tough shit hot stuff - like it or not, you're comin' with me. We got a long trip back and I got some important people who are gonna be payin' me plenty to meet you!"


	2. Camp Site

The sun was low over the horizon and I had been carrying Ayane on my shoulder for a couple of hours when I felt her shudder, then relax and go totally limp.

I patted her hard, little butt and laughed.

"Ha – Yeah, yeah… nice try kid… D'ya think I was born yesterday?"

I sincerely thought it was a trick and just kept walking – but after a while – when she was still just hangin' slack, I began to wonder…

 _Is something wrong?_

She had been pretty jangled by the energy blast that wiped out her team – maybe this wasn't an act. I began to think it might be legit and that she could be in some kind of trouble. I sure as fuck didn't want to miss out on my pay day – my employers wanted her alive. So, to be on the safe side, I decided to set up camp a little early and check her out.

I flipped out my ratty old bedroll and laid her down on it. As I eased her down, I got real concerned when Ayane's head flopped back without warning. She was totally loose and only my quick reflexes allowed me to catch her sleepy, purple head before it smacked into the hard ground.

 _That shit wasn't faked. This chick is out cold!_

Once I had her laid out, I tapped into my cybernetic suite and did a full bio scan. Vitals were solid, but Ayane was truly unconscious – totally gone.

 _Fuck… let's hope she comes outta this… I got some serious bills to pay._

A few hours had passed and the stars were starting to come out when I finally heard a slight moan from her direction. The relief in my voice was hard to hide.

"Hey – you're finally awake! I was getting worried."

I watched my gorgeous little captive's wide, amber colored eyes as they quickly scanned the campsite – getting the lay of the land – sizing me up.

She struggled briefly against the restraints that secured her hands behind her back. Then she quickly tested the ones on her ankles – but they were solid. I had made god damn good an' sure of that.

Realizing a fast escape was out of the question, she quickly pulled her feet into her body curling up into tight little ball as she lay there on my bedroll by the campfire.

I glanced briefly back to the tin of beans I was heating over the flames to make sure I wasn't burning the shit out of them or anything – then I turned my full attention to my captive and took a real good, long look at her.

The light from the fire made her skin glow… kind of like pale copper. I could see the flames dance and gleam in her wide eyes. It made her lavender hair shimmer. She was really fucking amazing to look at. I noticed the gaze she fixed on me and was a weird combination of innocent curiosity, mixed with caution and… readiness. She was not afraid and I could tell she was prepared for anything. I immediately liked this Ayane kid, and tried to calm her concerns as best I could.

"Hey – punk – you can relax… Okay? I'm not going to uh… y'know – ah… rape – or do any weird shit to you. Seriously, that's not how I roll. By the way, d'you have a real name? All I got on this dossier of yours, is... 'Ayane.'"


	3. Dinner with Fury

No answer… I was beginning to wonder if she had even heard me. The crackling of the fire seemed really friggin' loud as we sat there under the stars. A slight wind picked up and the branches and reeds rattled softly in the background. We weren't exactly in the safest area – I had no clue who had smoked her escort – and they could be anywhere. They also had some serious firepower too. It started to weigh on my mind.

 _A whole Delta Force team wiped out. That's some pretty heavy shit. I'll feel a whole lot better when that damn satellite gets in range. The sooner I can upload our location to the extraction team the better… I wonder when that'll hap–_

"The beans or whatever are burning."

It was the purple chick – watsername – Ayane. She finally spoke and snapped me back into reality. Her voice was real soft, cool and airy sounding. Real clear too… and… and she was right. I could suddenly see and smell that the beans were way past "well done."

"Shit – goddamnit – ASS!"

I quickly pulled the pan away from the fire and the deep brownish, black crap that used to be a primo quart of Bush's baked beans was now bubblin' away like a lump of agitated magma. I looked over at my captive. She had managed to get up off of her side and was sitting with her feet curled up under her. She wasn't mad – or laughin' or doin' much of anything really. Just staring at me with those wide amber colored eyes. I sure as hell couldn't tell what she was thinking. One thing I did know though, was that she was out of this world stunning. It took a serious effort of will to pull my attention back to the slowly cooling beans and – this is weird – but I actually felt kinda bad that I had fucked 'em up… As though I could impress her with my amazing culinary bean boiling skills.

I poured some into a tin bowl. Then putting that off to the side, I pulled out my big ol' Bowie knife. When I did that, I saw Ayane stiffen up out of the corner of my eye, but then she immediately relaxed again as I started using it to chip away at the black stuff in the bottom of the pan. She was wary alright – and with good reason – Ayane didn't know who I was or what I wanted with her. She was playin' it cool though, keepin' real quiet and just studying me. I could practically feel her eyes on me searching for weaknesses and sizing up possible advantages.

I shoved a plastic spoon into the bowl and got up real slow, so as not to scare my prisoner and walked over to where she was sitting and staring at me. I smiled and tried to look friendly as I crouched down in front of her.

"So… we're just gonna see how this goes – okay?"

No answer, so I pulled a small spoonful of beans out of the can and held it out in front of her.

"Because you're my guest, you get the… uh, slightly less burned beans..."

She just continued to stare at me, like I was from Mars or somethin' so I kept talkin'.

"…that is… y'know – if you want 'em… or n-."

She answered by simply opening her mouth.

I popped in the first spoonful. There was a brief silence then she spoke again.

"Keep it coming."

She was hungry little punk and before I knew it, I had fed her the whole damn bowl. Which of course, left nothing but the charbroiled black chunks over by the fire for me. Before I went over to my side of the fire, I gave her a big slug from my canteen.

Ayane practically drained that thing – then made the cutest goddamn burp I'd ever heard in my life, before she added…

"Thank you very much."

I walked to my spot on the other side of the fire and sat down with my back to a fallen tree. I was directly across from Ayane and could keep a sharp eye on her every move. I threw a large log on the fire the sparks leapt and jumped into the air as the flames intensified. As I watched them sail into the darkness, I couldn't help but smile inwardly.

 _She's a pretty wise kid alright – and brave too._

"Get some sleep – it's been a big day, and we want you all rested for the trip to your new home tomorrow."

I was surprised to see her yawn and scooch up closer to the fire. I heard the soft, almost inaudible creak from the leather of her suit as she just stretched out in front of the flames and closed her eyes. I stayed awake and watched her for a moment… maybe a bunch of moments. I felt bad that she had to be shackled like that, but I had heard the stories about her explosive power in my briefing and didn't need the headache of having to deal with that. I watched her breathing become deeper and more regular as she drifted off.

I was struck by her hair. It was lavender in the light of day and as the evening came on, turned purple then a deep violet. Now in the darkness - it was an iridescent indigo blue, infused with deep purple. There was also a faint scent... real subtle tickling the edge of my mind... like lilacs.

 _Wow. she really is somethin' alright… well, I guess I should turn in too._

Then I got settled and let my cybernetics take over as the human part of me went to sleep. It's really fuckin' hard to tell when I'm sleeping too. I've been told I look kind of weird and scary when I do it. I sit super straight, with my eyes wide open – usually with a big ol' grin on my face – optics and audio fully engaged. I was doing that now… scanning Ayane's beautiful form, every detail of the terrain around her and way out into the darkness far beyond the campsite. I shifted regularly between night-vision, thermal and digital. My audio was cranked all the way up and I was pulling in every little sound and frequency from a several hundred-yard radius around our little fire. Vast amounts of data were streaming in and being processed at the speed of light.

Nothing went unnoticed. Even the slightest anomaly would immediately set off an alert waking me, and that would be really goddamn tragic for some poor, dumb slob because…

…I don't like being woken…


	4. Turning Point

"BRYAN! THIS IS CONTROL – ARE YOU RECEIVING? OVER!"

I think it was around 5:30 in the morning when my wake-up call exploded into my skull. I immediately turned my internal audio down as what was left of my humanity woke up and snapped back into full alertness resuming control… and I can tell you… I was literally not a happy camper.

"Geeziz – FUK – YES I am receiving you… and if I ever FIND YOU, I'll rip your goddamn head off! Now modulate your friggin' transmission!"

There was a pause then a tentative voice, in a volume that was much more acceptable.

"S-sorry Mr. Fury. We… I uh – I've been trying to reach you for over an hour. I guess the satellite wasn't in… uh position or someth-"

I didn't have time for this rookie's jabber and interrupted.

"Do you have my coordinates NOW?"

"Yes. I have them right here. Th-They are -"

 _Oh, for shit's sake._

"Shut up and listen to me. I know what MY coordinates are you ASS… you don't need to tell me. I just want to make sure YOU have them. Now, when is the damn extraction team gonna get here with my money? I have the package all trussed up and ready for pick up."

"Great Mr. Fury! That's excellent – the extraction team is on their way now. They should be at your location in… ten minutes."

I could see out of the corner of my eye, Ayane had worked her way up to her knees and was watching me intently trying to figure out what was going on from the one-sided conversation she was hearing.

"Good. And I hope they're bringing a mess of sandwiches or something too."

There was a brief pause –

"Oh – yes sir! Money and sandwiches coming your way Mr. Fury!"

"GOOD."

I cut the transmission and looked over at my prisoner. She had a pretty serious expression. Her big, wide eyes were kind of curious looking – almost sad.

"So… uh, Ayane… looks like we'll be going our separate ways soon. I have to say – in spite of all the hype in the briefing – you didn't make too much trouble. Seriously you were a…"

I walked over and tousled her hair as I patted her on the head. It felt incredibly soft and in the light of the dawn it was an almost unnaturally lustrous, rich lavender.

"…model prisoner – I gotta tell you – I appreciate that."

She looked up at me – and then – that voice hit me. Soft and cool.

"Bryan?"

I just gazed down at her.

"What is it kiddo?"

She was blinking, as though she was fighting back tears.

"M…my sword."

I looked over to where her weird purple tinged blade rested against the log by the fire. Then turned back to my captive.

"Yeah? What about it?"

When Ayane answered, my powerful audio receptors were just able to detect the micro-tremors in her voice as she did a damn fine job of hiding the powerful emotions she felt.

"Please don't let them take it. As one warrior to another – don't let that happen."

"Why? What's so special about-"

"Bryan – I am begging you. If you are working for who I suspect you are… then they will ruthlessly tear me to pieces to gain my secrets. I… I will do my utmost to be strong, but they must never have Purple Moon. I should also add – that they will betray you too. You must know that these men have no honor and will kill you too so there are no loose ends."

 _Nice try kid._

"Yeah sure baby – I've heard that old story plenty. But if they want your cute lil' sword, I'm not sure how I'd be able to stop 'em. Even if I threw in the bushes there's no guarantee that someone else might-"

I was stunned to see a tear escape and roll down her soft cheek as she interrupted me.

"You HAVE to destroy it... please."

She turned in the direction of her sword and the tears just started flowin' she wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. But her voice stayed real steady as she softly called out to it.

"Oh, Purple Moon – I am so sorry. Our journey is over and I will be given to our enemies now… but I won't let them have you too. I won't."

I could hear the extraction team's chopper approaching, they were a couple of minutes away. I think Ayane could hear them too - she turned back to me and there was urgency in her tone and her eyes – the amber color had left and they were bright like rubies.

 _What the fuck?_

"Bryan –do it now – take the sword and destroy it!"

 _Well the deal was to deliver Ayane – they didn't say anything about a stupid fuckin' sword._

"Okay, okay… now don't get your panties all in a bunch – I'll snap that thing to pieces for you."

I quickly walked over to the sword and snatched it up by the hilt. It looked as though it had been bound in purple silk – real pretty. I had to admit, the blade was amazing – there was some kind of scene engraved into the steel which was tinged with a faint purple. Looked like a bunch of wild animals and plants and shit coming out of the moon.

But the craziest thing was the feeling I got as I held it. It was like a warmth – almost a presence running through me… it felt real… good. And it was a very specific kind of good too – like the kind of good I hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Like a trap door opening – old – long forgotten thoughts started flooding into the front of my mind on the warm current of energy that was coursing through me.

I was running home with my report card. I could feel the joy surging in my chest as I dashed past the houses on my street. My street! I raced through the gate and ran up the path to my front step. I crashed through the screen door and ran through the living room as my old dog Barkley jumped up to greet me. I didn't even stop, I just tore right into the kitchen. I could smell dinner cooking – roast chicken… rosemary… and there was the smell of pie… apple!

The afternoon sun was streaming through the light blue curtains with the yellow flowers making the white tiles of the counter and floor glow and – and – my mom! She was right there, right where I knew she would be. She was waiting for me. I could feel the pride coursing through my little body as I handed her that report card – I could still see it as the memories flooded back into the front of my mind – two B's and three A's! I was laughing and my mom was laughing too – her arms were around me when suddenly –

"BRYAN!"

I tore my attention away from my thoughts and tried to focus through the wall of tears that had formed, then I remembered where I was. And Ayane was shouting at me…

"Bryan! You must destroy it! They can't have it please only you can stop them."

I looked back down at the blade in my hand. It just felt like, like… I don't really have a word for it other than love. It felt like love… and as the black speck on the horizon started to move closer to us… it shifted – it felt passionate – resolved with a protective energy. An energy that was focused on… Ayane. Ayane who was struggling in vain against her bonds trying to free herself.

Bonds I had placed her in… Why had I thought that was a good thing to do again?

 _Money. Yeah – I'm getting' like three million for this job – and that's more important than… than… love!?_

Like a cloud lifting – my mind was suddenly clear. There was good/evil, right/wrong and simply do/not do. I knew… I knew what to do. I began to reach into my back pocket for the key to her shackles.

"Ayane… I made a mistake – I – this is wrong – fuck the money! I'm gonna help y-"

"Bryan! You are in DANGER!"

It was Ayane's voice again – but it seemed kind of far away. I could see her well enough – she was up on her feet and hopping slightly to keep her balance.

I turned to see what she was shouting about. It was the chopper – only a few hundred yards out. There was a large gun hanging off to the side. I zoomed in on them.

 _Waitaminute – are they aiming that thing at me? Naw they couldn't b-_

Incredibly, something hit me from my blindside like a torpedo and knocked me flat! ME!

"OOOMPHHHHUCK!"

It was Ayane! She had launched herself at me with fuck-ton of force and put me right on my ass! Then, before I could even say anything, there was a huge WHOOSH of blazing, hot air followed instantly by a massive explosion and the tree I had just been standing right in front of was vaporized! A huge ass oak tree one second and now there was nothing left but a smoking stump.

"Holy shit! Ayane – you…"

She wasn't even paying attention to me anymore but was wiggling like mad. She had arched her feet up to her hands and there were two distinct metallic snaps – then suddenly, she popped up to her feet with a sharp ukeme and amazingly – she was free! Ayane had somehow – right after the impact that saved my life – filched the key from my back pocket and freed herself! I was thunderstruck!

 _Holy shit kid - I am liking you more and more!_

The chopper whipped over our heads and I saw it climb and wheel around for another run at us.

 _Well I'll be goddamned… she was right – the bastards WERE gonna turn on me._

We had another handful of seconds before the next attack – I threw the sword to Ayane and was blown away by the graceful way she plucked it out of the air.

"Take it kid – you and me. We're gonna make these bastard fucks sorry!"


	5. Sky Blender of Death

The attack helicopter was a big sucker with tandem rotors – looked like a heavily modified Chinook CH-47. The thing was massive and fast as hell. There was a whole team of guys in there – maybe seven from what I could tell. My targeting reticle snapped onto the shithead leaning out of the side door. I could see him cycling another round into the huge fucking gun that nearly put me out of commission.

 _A goddamn KEP!_

A kinetic energy penetrator – used for bustin' up tanks! That thing could rip right through me like butter and I thought briefly about the short work it had made of that big-ass oak tree only a few seconds ago. I could see the blackened stump at the edge of my vision, just smolderin' away, with a huge crater right behind it. Only Ayane's scary-fast reactions had saved me.

Now she was just off my left shoulder with that weird purple sword in her hands. Ayane was standing straight up and her large, ruby eyes were riveted on the chopper. She spoke quick and clear – as the chopper began to dive in our direction.

"Bryan – the door gunner – he's -"

I whipped my nine-and-a-half-inch Bowie knife from the sheath on my leg and flipped it, catching it by the blade.

"I know! I got him…"

I saw Ayane dig her back foot into the ground and crouch down as she answered. Her voice was real cool.

"Good – I'll take care of the rest."

 _She'll take care of the rest?! What th-? They're in a goddamn chopper – How the fuck is she gonna pull that off?_

Leaving that thought unfinished – I sighted briefly and threw my blade just as the gunner was leveling that huge barrel at us. The knife looked like a glittering buzz saw as the rays of the early morning sun streamed out through the trees lighting it up. Its shining arc came to a sudden stop in the forehead of our would-be executioner. His head snapped right back as he back flipped out of his seat like a big ol' sack of crap. I didn't have too much time to celebrate, because the next thing I knew - they were right on top of us and we had to hit the dirt to avoid those rotor blades.

"Fuckin BASTARDS! Just tried ram us! Hey kid – you doin' alrig-"

I looked to my left – Ayane was gone.

 _Where th-?! Did she get hit?_

I looked up at our attackers. They had flown a couple of hundred yards out and were climbing to do another turn at us. But this time – there was something different… I had to zoom in to confirm it… Ayane was hangin' onto one of the skids!

 _Damn! THAT'S where she got to! I SO should have thought of that!_

I watched my new ally effortlessly swing her legs up and flip into the open doorway where the gunner used to sit. I saw her land in the center of the space right middle of the crew, through the double wide windscreen. The pilot pulled out of the dive and kept the chopper steady, while the co-pilot started to unstrap himself from his seat. But immediately the other four guys surrounded her, guns and knives drawn. It didn't look good.

 _Shit Ayane – you better do something…_

I saw her reach back and pull her sword out. The blade flashed like a silver spark in the relative darkness of the Chinook's interior as her aggressors aimed their weapons.

 _It's just a sword – they'll blow her shit away I gotta do someth- whoa!_

What came next was too fast for the normal eye to follow. Even now, it's hard to explain. I guess the only thing to compare it to would be a big ol' flying food processor. Yeah and that it's stuffed with overripe tomatoes, jelly donuts and uh… lots of screaming. Then turn that processor way the fuck up to the highest possible setting… which would be… _liquify._ Because I-shit-you-not that is what happened up there.

At regular speed, the interior of that chopper was just a friggin' blur of steel, black leather, blood, more blood, a scattered heap of internal organs, bone chips… and a touch of lavender. Oh yeah and screams – lots of screams – sounded like victory.

I recorded the whole thing and when I played it back later at 1/10th normal speed – it was like visual poetry. Ayane wasn't just hacking and spinning mindlessly, she was practically dancing… she moved the way light bounces around on water. It was a friggin' ballet of death.

When I slowed the playback down even further to 1/50th normal speed, I could see how every move she made had purpose and not a single motion was wasted. And her expression was calm - no rage - just serene. Like she was lost in deep thought. But sure as shit - every action she took ended with a lethal or disabling result for one or more of her enemies.

In just under three seconds, the whole thing was over, and I watched as she launched herself through the open door of the now plummeting sky-blender of death. Ayane streaked across the sky and disappeared into the canopy of a nearby grove of trees. Then the chopper hit the ground and erupted into a massive ball of fire.

 _Shit – the base must not be too far – that thing was like full of fuel to make an explosion that large…_

When I turned to head to the grove where Ayane had landed, I was shocked to see her already approaching me only 20 feet away. I noticed that ruby color had left her eyes and they were a deep amber again. I gave her a big smile and nodded my head in the direction of the burning wreck.

"Nice work Ayane! You took that thing down in record time – Hell I don't even think I could have done it much fas-"

The kid was all business. In an elegant motion, she flicked the blood off her sword making a bright red stripe across the ground at her feet and gestured to the remains of our campsite with her other hand. When she spoke, her voice was calm, but sure. Ayane was clearly used to being in charge.

"We can talk later. It is too dangerous being out here in the open and they will send more agents soon. Only take what you can easily carry, then we need to be well away from here."

"I – uh… sure – okay."

It made sense – why argue? So I ran over to the wreckage of the Chinook and grabbed what I could "easily carry." A brief crunchy, ripping sound of metal on metal and the KEP was dislodged from its platform and in my happy hands. Throwing that over my shoulder, I scooped up a big box of ammo for it and ran off after Ayane who was already heading for the cover of the forest.


	6. Three Million Reasons

We had put about seven clicks between us and the wrecked Chinook attack chopper before we finally struck camp.

I was impressed with Ayane's stamina to keep up with me. In fact, she seemed even less tired than I was. It looked as though she had just completed a stroll through an English garden. I watched as she gazed around at the trees and flowers and shit.

 _How the hell did someone like that take out an attack helicopter along with its entire crew? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes…_

I leaned back on my bedroll as I stared into the flames. I wasn't really watching them, I was trying to come to terms with the weird shit that happened when I was holding her sword. In the moment before the attack… I was – the feelings were – pretty fucked up. After everything I had gone through, I was more than ready to throw all that money away and help her because it… felt like the right thing to do.

I decided to forget about it and began internally playing back Ayane's battle on the Chinook. I carefully analyzed her moves as she wiped out the strike team onboard. As I watched it was just as amazing the second time around – maybe more so.

 _I had always heard about how she was some kind of bad ass Haji-whatever-master ninja war-babe… But I had no idea she was this friggin' lethal!_

I was starting to understand exactly what that "master ninja" shit meant. Ayane was operating on another level entirely. Way above any kind of special ops fighters I had ever seen.

It literally was… art.

Like watching something beautiful unfold. Mind-blowingly beautiful and goddamn deadly as fuck… like the oleander that used to grow on the cliffs below my apartment in Hong Kong. Before it went back to China… before, my transformation into this… thing I had become.

My internal dialog and playback was interrupted by Ayane's gentle voice.

"Bryan, may I ask you a question?"

I snapped back to the moment and looked at her on the other side of the fire. She was sitting there on a flat rock in the lotus position staring at me. Her sword was lying across her lap and cupped in her hands was a little tin bowl of ramen noodles.

"Huh? Yeah sure – hey – how're your noodles?"

She chugged the remaining noodles, and put the tin bowl down on the ground next to her.

"They were very good. Thank you."

Her moves were real simple but – like when she was wastin' all those dudes in the chopper – real precise. Then she placed a hand, palm down, on each knee and looked in the flames for a moment then back at me before she answered.

"Just before the attack, instead of breaking my sword – you said you made 'a mistake' and then… something about ah… 'fuck the money.' What did you mean by that?"

It was weird to hear her swear – and I nearly bust out laughin' until I saw the expression on her face. She really wanted to know. I really wanted to tell her too – but honestly, I didn't have a solid answer as to why I changed my mind. I scooped up a handful off wood chips and weighed them in my hand as I thought about how to answer.

"I honestly don't know… I mean… you were gonna be a pretty big pay day for me. But – I – at that moment, the money – and if you knew _me_ you'd know how nuts this sounds – but the money just didn't seem as important as… helping you out. I also… felt… bad? I guess. Y'know, about the shitty situation you were in."

She sat there quietly and the crackling of the fire started to sound loud in the silence.

"You made that choice before you knew they were going to betray you."

By the warmth in her voice, I knew where this was going. She's going to make it seem like I had some big stupid breakthrough and I'm actually a good guy, or some kind of bullshit like that. But I knew what it was… It was that thing sitting across her lap… It was –

"Your sword. It was just your sword that did it. That weird ass thing fucked with my mind and twisted my reasoning so I'd want to help you."

"No."

She sure as shit sounded certain as she began polishing the black, graphite scabbard her sword rested in, with a little red cloth she pulled out of the top of her boot.

"Purple Moon does not twist or distort. It uncovers… it reveals. Bryan – you weren't always a killer for hire. We have files on you too, you know. You were a police man… you weren't crooked like the official reports say – you were a good one – and Purple Moon found that man… the _real_ you… and opened a door allowing him to assert himself."

I seriously did not have a good answer for that. I felt the truth in what she was saying rush to my cheeks. It was a weird mixture of shame and sadness and a whole lot of crap I didn't want to face. I started absently flipping wood chips into the fire, watching them first glow around the edges, then blacken and curl before bursting into flames.

When I spoke, my voice was kind of quiet.

"That guy… the one you're talking about. Yeah – I'm sorry but – he's dead baby… Been gone a long time."

Ayane stood up and brushed a few stray leaves off her butt. I was a little surprised as she walked over and sat right down next to me. Just plopped down like a big friendly cat. Then – and this took some serious fuckin' stones – she actually patted me on the back and even rubbed my shoulder affectionately. Then she spoke again – soft, cool, confident.

"No, he's not. Bryan – if he was dead – then Purple Moon would have only uncovered more wickedness. A wicked person would not have chosen to forsake money to help me – you would have been distracted by Purple Moon as it searched for the good in you – and in your moment of indecision, I would have not intervened – allowing the missile to destroy you."

As she continued to discuss the disastrous alternate reality we nearly went down – Ayane removed her hand from my shoulder and reached for the ground to pick up a few wood chips. She weighed them thoughtfully.

"That would certainly have vaporized the key in your pocket, so I would have still been shackled and they would have taken me. That would have resulted in a long and excruciatingly painful death to fulfill their leader's long-standing vendetta against me. Instead – Purple Moon found the real you – and because of this we live and our attackers are defeated."

I flipped another wood chip into the fire. It glowed around the edges, blackened… started to curl, then flamed up.

"I'm not a good guy – don't care what your stupid sword says."

I heard a soft sigh escape her as I watched the wood chip burn. Then I saw another one flip into the flames as Ayane tossed one in to join mine.

"Bryan."

"That's my name."

"What did they offer you?"

"Huh?"

"Money. How much were they going to pay you to hand me over to them?"

"Oh… yeah… Three million. All up in smoke… This is like the shittiest day ever."

"Yet, I believe you said… 'Fuck the money.' Bryan, _you_ said that – even before you knew they were going to betray you. So… now I have three million reasons to know that a good man is very much alive in you."

I'm a pretty hard guy… literally. I've had bullets bounce off of my face, I can smash through a concrete wall like it's wet cardboard and… yet – I could still feel the warmth of Ayane's hand from when she had rubbed my shoulder.


End file.
